Madonna's exclusive performance at New York City's famed Roseland Ballroom will be available live to millions of fans via an online broadcast at MSN Music, it was confirmed today by MSN and Control Room, which announced that the show will stream live Wednesday evening, April 30, at 10 p.m. EDT in the United States and will be available on demand to international audiences on May 15. Along with some past hits, Madonna will be debuting several new songs including her 37th No. 1 smash single "Four Minutes" from her upcoming CD Hard Candy, which is scheduled to be released on April 29. The Control Room- produced show will also include never-before-seen rehearsal footage, a pre- recorded interview with Madonna and her full performance, giving fans around the globe unprecedented access to one of the biggest music events of 2008 by simply logging on to MSN Music In Concert.

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"Madonna is a legendary performer, and we're thrilled to be bringing this live online broadcast to her fans on the heels of her Hall of Fame induction, her record-breaking 37th top-10 single '4 Minutes,' and in conjunction with the launch of this hotly anticipated new album," said Aaron Grosky, Control Room president. "As experts in bringing live music performances to the Web, Control Room will deliver Madonna fans an online experience that captures the excitement and authenticity of this exclusive show."

Control Room, the leading producer and distributor of world-class entertainment content, delivers nearly 40 live music shows per year to the MSN Music In Concert series. Past performances have included international superstars such as Rihanna, Jay-Z, Lenny Kravitz, Sheryl Crow and many more. Coming in May, fans can watch performances by Jack Johnson and Daughtry. The Music In Concert series (http://music.msn.com/inconcert), which is available in 42 countries and 21 languages through the international MSN network, gives music fans worldwide the chance to see live music performances from their favorite artists.

"MSN Music In Concert is one way we are bringing together the best and most compelling entertainment content on the Web," said Rob Bennett, general manager, entertainment, video and sports, MSN. "Madonna has a huge international following, and we are very excited that we're able to offer the exclusive webcast of her concert to her fans around the world."

About Control Room

As the leading producer and distributor of world-class entertainment, Control Room's live music programming showcases the world's biggest artists from a variety of venues through multi-platform broadcasts via television, broadband and wireless platforms. Control Room has produced and distributed nearly 100 live music events delivering the highest quality productions in the industry with 8-10 camera shoots in Native HD (1080p) and using Dolby 5.1 to ensure the most compelling audience experience. In 2007, Control Room produced the largest entertainment event in history, Live Earth. On July 7, 2007, the 7-continent, 24-hour music extravaganza featured 150 of the world's leading artists to raise awareness for the Climate Crisis with a message of solutions and personal responsibility.

About MSN Video

MSN Video is one of the largest free programmed video services on the Web, watched by more than 12 million unique users per month. In addition to streaming news, entertainment and sports video clips from more than 50 content partners including "The Today Show," FOX Sports, MSNBC, Reveille, Control Room, CBS, News Corp. and Fox Entertainment Group, MSN Video presents a broad array of live events to online audiences worldwide. More than 50 top advertisers support MSN Video, which is available to consumers at no charge. MSN Video is available on the Web at http://msnvideo.com/ to consumers in the U.S. MSN Video is also live in Australia, Canada, France (English and French), Japan, Netherlands, U.K., Brazil, Denmark, Germany, Italy, Singapore, Spain, Thailand, Indonesia, Philippines, Malaysia, Mexico, Sweden, Belgium, Taiwan, India, Vietnam, Russia and in Spanish in the U.S. MSN Video is coming soon in China, Norway, Argentina, Chile and Columbia.

Overall, MSN, Windows Live and Microsoft.com attract more than 550 million unique users worldwide per month. With localized versions available globally in 42 markets and 21 languages, MSN is a world leader in delivering Web services to consumers and online advertising opportunities to businesses worldwide. Most recently, MSN partnered with Control Room to stream Live Earth, the largest online entertainment event in history, with over 62 million streams worldwide.

About Microsoft

Founded in 1975, Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) is the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential.

NOTE TO EDITORS: If you are interested in viewing additional information on Microsoft, please visit the Microsoft Web page at http://www.microsoft.com/presspass on Microsoft's corporate information pages. Web links, telephone numbers and titles were correct at time of publication, but may since have changed. For additional assistance, journalists and analysts may contact Microsoft's Rapid Response Team or other appropriate contacts listed at http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/contactpr.mspx.

The Future of Film Distribution; Documentary LEADING TO WAR Released Worldwide on the Web in 19 Languages

BOSTON, April 28 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ --

The unique documentary film LEADING TO WAR is redefining conventional film distribution. Praised by the German newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung as a "staggering film," the 72-minute documentary, constructed from selected news footage, powerfully chronicles the Bush administration's rush to war in Iraq.

The release of LEADING TO WAR pushes the boundaries of film distribution beyond the new media strategies of even the most forward-thinking Hollywood studios. Taking a page from the Web 2.0 playbook, the producers of LEADING TO WAR are offering the complete film online for free via progressive streaming or download at www.LeadingToWar.com.

This is a far more powerful distribution system than is possible in theaters, as this release is available on demand, around the world. To support this international push, the film is subtitled in an unprecedented 19 languages.

The model is similar to that of a classic tiered Web 2.0 service like the photo sharing site Flickr.com. The product is provided for free, attracting a large number of users. An enhanced product is then offered to customers seeking a premium experience. For Flickr, it's more storage for photos, with fewer restrictions. For LEADING TO WAR, the premium experience is watching the film on DVD, which is available for purchase on the website via Amazon.com.

This new business model is what noted venture capitalist and blogger Fred Wilson named "The Freemium Business Model," which has been widely cited in leading business publications and blogs:

"Give your service away for free, possibly ad supported but maybe not, acquire a lot of customers very efficiently through word of mouth, referral networks, organic search marketing, etc, then offer premium priced value added services or an enhanced version of your service to your customer base."

For LEADING TO WAR, the DVD -- the premium product -- provides the highest quality viewing experience. The expectation is that DVD sales will be significantly increased by the higher viewership and awareness which only the free availability can attract.

This "Freemium" strategy is working. Notable comments online include:

"This is an amazing film. Let's buy DVDs to support these guys," "I'm buying the DVD for my parents," and "I will show this DVD to as many people as I can, and I will save it for my 3 year old son for his future watching."

In conjunction with the film, a companion website, www.LeadingToWar.com, examines the strategies and rhetorical techniques used by Bush officials. The film and website create the most comprehensive online resource about the build-up to the Iraq War.

To enhance the availability of LEADING TO WAR around the world, the film utilizes the Akamai Content Delivery Network, with 20,000 "edge servers" worldwide. This improves the quality of the streaming as well as the speed of download in virtually every country.

"We are amazed at the initial results," said producer Lewis Wheeler. "Within days of LeadingToWar.com going live, the film was viewed in each of the 19 subtitled languages, and within 2 weeks the site was visited from 142 different countries."

LEADING TO WAR was directed by Barry Hershey (whose first feature film, "The Empty Mirror," premiered at the Cannes International Film Festival) and was edited by two-time Emmy Award winner Marc Grossman.

For appearances and phone interviews with the filmmakers, contact AaronLavallee at 001+301-887-1060 or aaron@kelleycampaigns.comFirst Call Analyst:FCMN Contact:

Friday, April 25, 2008

U.S. District Judge Wm. Terrell Hodges today sentenced Wesley Trent Snipes to three years imprisonment for charges of failing to file income tax returns. Snipes was found guilty by a jury on February 1, 2008. Eddie Ray Kahn, of Sorrento, Florida, was sentenced to ten years' imprisonment and Douglas P. Rosile, of Venice, Florida, was sentenced to four years and six months' imprisonment.

The same jury found Kahn and Rosile guilty of conspiracy to defraud the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and presenting a fraudulent claim for payment to the IRS. Kahn was the founder and leader of American Rights Litigators (ARL), a tax protestor organization based in Lake County, Florida. Rosile prepared returns for ARL clients, such as Snipes.

"Snipes' long prison sentence should send a loud and crystal clear message to all tax defiers that if they engage in similar tax defier conduct, they face joining him and his co-defendants, Kahn and Rosile, as inmates in prison," said Nathan J. Hochman, Assistant Attorney General of the Justice Department's Tax Division.

"The law is very clear: people must pay their taxes," said Internal Revenue Service Commissioner Douglas Shulman. "There is no secret formula that eliminates a person's tax obligations, nor are there any special exceptions. The majority of Americans pay their taxes timely and accurately. Those who willfully violate the law must be held accountable."

This case was investigated by the IRS Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI). It was prosecuted by U.S. Attorney Robert E. O'Neill, Assistant United States Attorney Scot Morris, and Trial Attorney Jeffrey A. McLellan, U. S. Department of Justice Tax Division.

Source: U.S. Department of Justice

CONTACT: Steve Cole of the U.S. Department of Justice, +1-813-274-6136,+1-813-274-6300 (fax); or U.S. Department of Justice Office of Public Affairs,+1-202-514-2007

Saturday, April 12, 2008

Michael Jackson's 'Thriller' Video Stars You as Part of the 25th Anniversary Celebration!

Seminal Video from the 20th Century is Enhanced by Breakthrough Technology for the Next Century

PASADENA, Calif., April 11 /PRNewswire/ --

For the first time ever and through the magic of technology, anyone can now star in the greatest music video of all time -- Michael Jackson's Thriller -- as part of the album's worldwide 25th anniversary celebration! Michael Jackson and Epic/Legacy Recordings (Sony BMG) have partnered with innovative media company Big Stage and YouTube to bring this landmark entertainment experience to the world. Central to the tribute is the ability for fans to easily create a life-like 3-D version of themselves that literally replaces the role of Michael Jackson in the music video. This cutting edge technology was developed by Big Stage. The campaign begins today at www.MichaelJackson.com/mythrillervideo.

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"This is a great tribute to Michael Jackson, involving one of the greatest and most innovative music videos of all time," said Jonathan Strietzel, co-founder and chief creative officer, Big Stage. "We're excited about working with Epic/Legacy Recordings to demonstrate the first public Big Stage experience -- inserting a photo-realistic avatar of 'you' into digital content. This is just a taste of the way consumers will be able to personalize everything from famous movie scenes to video games, virtual worlds and social networking sites, when we officially launch next quarter."

"Michael Jackson is an innovator and a pioneer in the music industry and so it only makes sense, as part of our anniversary celebrations for Thriller, to give fans worldwide a new way to experience the video in a way not even Michael could have imagined 25 years ago," said J.J. Rosen, Executive Vice-President, SonyBMG Commercial Music Group. "Our partnership with Big Stage, is an amazing way to fundamentally change people's interaction with content."

Once users have uploaded their photos to create their personalized Thriller video, they will be sent a link to a YouTube page where the video will be posted. From there, it can be shared with friends by email and posted on social networking sites like MySpace or Facebook. A recent fan generated video reached the Top 25 viewed Entertainment videos on YouTube, and most recently, MTV caught wind of the My Thriller Video tool, and produced a piece with their talent showcasing the process for MTV.com NewsBlog.

The Michael Jackson Thriller 25th anniversary celebration kicked off in December 2007 with the release of a new single and continues throughout 2008 with a multi-faceted global marketing campaign featuring high-profile television, radio and online events around the world. The Big Stage-enabled Thriller video piece is part of Epic/Legacy Recordings' viral campaign in support of the album's 25th anniversary release on February 12, of which the first single was "Wanna Be Startin' Something 2008," a duet between Michael Jackson and Akon. The album has already sold 2 million copies worldwide.

With Big Stage's 3-D capture technology, users will take three simple pictures of themselves with a digital camera and upload them to the Web, where they will be quickly converted into a life-like 3-D avatar called an @ctor(TM). Big Stage's proprietary technology will automatically map the contours of a user's face to generate an incredibly accurate replica of the user, fully equipped for animation. In under a minute, your @ctor will be born and fully alive through realistic movement and gestures. Users can then style it with a host of accessories, from hair to eyeglasses, tattoos, hats and more.

After users create and style their @ctors, they can drop them into the library of Big Stage-enabled user and professionally created content or Scenes. These highly personalized Scenes can then be shared by users across everything from famous movie scenes, TV shows and video games, to music videos, short video clips, virtual worlds, still images, user-generated content, instant messages, e-mails, social networks and more -- instantly. Big Stage will officially launch to consumers in the second quarter of 2008.

About Big Stage

Big Stage is a media company, currently in Beta, whose breakthrough technology allows users to easily create and integrate a life-like 3-D avatar of themselves, called an @ctor, into everything from famous movie scenes, TV shows and video games, to music videos, short video clips, virtual worlds, still images, user-generated content, instant messages, e-mails, social networks and more -- instantly. Big Stage will launch to consumers in the second quarter of 2008. For more information and to sign up for the Big Stage Beta program, please visit www.BigStage.com.

About Thriller

Epic/Legacy Recordings proudly celebrates the 25th anniversary of Michael Jackson's Thriller with a newly expanded deluxe edition of the phenomenal record-breaking pop culture touchstone. The Thriller -- 25th Anniversary Edition will include the original album in its entirety as well as seven bonus tracks and a DVD featuring Michael Jackson's groundbreaking short films from Thriller ("Thriller," "Beat It," and "Billie Jean") and the artist's Emmy-nominated breakout performance of "Billie Jean" from the legendary "Motown 25: Yesterday, Today, Forever" television special. Additionally, the newly expanded version of Thriller premieres six tracks previously unreleased in any form: "Beat It 2008" with Fergie; a new Kanye West remix of "Billie Jean"; a new 2008 version of "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'" with Akon; will.i.am remixes of "The Girl Is Mine" and "P.Y.T."; and "For All Time," a rare unreleased cut from the original Thriller recording sessions, newly mixed and mastered by Michael Jackson. Originally released in the United States 25 years ago on November 30, 1982 by Epic Records, Thriller, Michael Jackson's sixth solo album and second with producer Quincy Jones, rocketed the former child-star lead singer for the Jackson 5 into the stratosphere of international superstardom. In 1985, the Guinness Book of Records named Thriller the Best Selling Album of All Time, an achievement which remains unsurpassed to this day.

After selling tens of millions of albums, breaking records with 18 number one hits on the Billboard Hot Latin Songs Chart and nonstop touring, Enrique Iglesias is Bigger on mun2. The Madrid born, Miami raised pop star comes to mun2 for a month long campaign of performances, holamun2.com originals, hosted shows, interactive features, original promos, music video blocks, and exclusive interviews. Bigger on mun2 brings the multi-platinum artist to the screen in a big way beginning April 7th.

"mun2 is bringing a true pioneer of bilingual pop to fans with our exclusive Bigger on mun2 treatment of original, irreverent, and candid content on-air and online," said Flavio Morales, mun2 Vice President of Programming. "Kicking off the new season of Vivo with Enrique Iglesias, one of the greatest international pop stars of all time, is a huge treat for our audience."

-- Holamun2.com: This holamun2.com original unveils exclusive coverage of the reunion between Enrique and his beauty mark on its very own late night talk show. The hilarious vignette is set to appear online and on Holamun2.com: El Show, mun2's newest show that brings the award winning mun2 web to both screens at 9PM on Thursday, April 24th.

-- 2RSLVJ: Enrique is the VJ on April 12 at 9PM as he picks his favorite videos from his new "95/08" greatest hits album. You think he always got the superstar treatment? Just wait until you find out what his mom used to call him. This candid, relaxed half hour with the sarcastic superstar will surely raise some eyebrows.

-- The Shuffle: Throughout the month, Pico will be serving up the latest Enrique news and on April 16 at 5PM, fans can catch behind the scenes footage from Enrique's Live in Belfast tour.

-- VIVO: host Yasmin Deliz kicks off the third season of the hit music variety show by interviewing the Biggest artist for the job, Quique himself. Enrique dishes on the media's major misconceptions about him, his dogs, and even gets literally up close and personal with hugs and kisses to the studio audience on Thursday May 1st at 8PM.

For exclusive images, original vignettes and promos, news and all things Bigger on mun2, visit holamun2.com/bigger

Note to Editors: Additional photos available upon request.

About mun2:

mun2 is the preeminent voice for Latino youth in America. Launched in 2001, mun2 was the first national cable network to offer bilingual programming for young U.S. Latinos. mun2 is a multiplatform youth entertainment network that offers authentic content that reflects the lifestyle of the fastest-growing segment of the Hispanic population with original, relevant and cutting-edge programs in proven genres including music, movies, sports, fashion, and social activism. The network, which reflects emerging trends in all areas of pop and youth culture that are endorsed by its bicultural audience, is available nationwide on digital and analog cable, satellite and free television. mun2 will reach 24 million U.S. TV households and is the first-ever Latino youth-oriented cable network to have full subscription to the Nielsen Homevideo Index measurement service. The network is part of Telemundo Cable Networks, a division of NBC Universal TV Networks Distribution.

About holamun2.com:

For your daily dos of candy, glitters and freejoles, visit http://holamun2.com/, mun2's fully interactive site featuring all things mun2. A portal for bicultural youth to experience entertainment on their terms, holamun2 features exclusive interviews, original videos, entertainment news, interaction with other mun2 fans and ways to vote for what's next on mun2. From politics and pop to videos and video games, holamun2.com is the online destination devoted to the lifestyles of Latino youth.

Pop icon Michelle Williams will be holding auditions in Los Angeles looking for the nation's hottest and most talented male dancers for a series of performances and projects in support of her new solo album, the contemporary pop/dance collection Unexpected, set for release on Tuesday, August 12.

Auditions for the Michelle Williams Unexpected project will be held at The Basement in North Hollywood on Sunday, April 13 (please see full details following).

Auditions are open to male dancers only. Applicants need to be 5' 10" or taller and at least 18 years old. Prospective dancers should bring a resume, headshot, and best moves.

Pop icon Michelle Williams will be holding auditions in Los Angeles looking for the nation's hottest and most talented male dancers for a series of performances and projects in support of her new solo album, the contemporary pop/dance collection Unexpected, set for release on Tuesday, August 12.

Auditions for the Michelle Williams Unexpected project will be held at The Basement in North Hollywood on Sunday, April 13 (please see full details following).

Auditions are open to male dancers only. Applicants need to be 5' 10" or taller and at least 18 years old. Prospective dancers should bring a resume, headshot, and best moves.

- April 16th: Mariah performs on 'American Idol' as musical mentor to finalists

NEW YORK, April 2, 2008 /PRNewswire/ -- International superstar Mariah Carey reaches a once-in-a-lifetime career achievement as her current single "Touch My Body" goes to #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 this week and becomes her 18th career #1 hit -- surpassing one of the most enduring chart records in Billboard Hot 100 history, Elvis Presley's 17 #1's. Mariah is now positioned as the only active recording artist in the 50 years of the Hot 100 (which began in 1958) with the potential to surpass the Beatles' all-time high of 20 #1 hits.

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"Touch My Body" takes over #1 with an all-time record-setting 286,000 debut week at #1 on the Billboard hot digital songs chart, and a Hot 100 Airplay radio audience now over 115 million. The video, directed by feature filmmaker Brett Ratner, and featuring a cameo by Jack McBrayer (30 Rock's Kenneth Parcell), stays at #1 on the Yahoo Music Video Chart, Yahoo Launchcast and AOL. And Mariah's widget has been viewed over 4.26 million times!

"Touch My Body" is the first smash from Mariah's highly anticipated hot new album "E=MC2," arriving in stores April 15th. Pre-orders are now underway for "E=MC2," with iTunes customers receiving "Touch My Body" instantly with their pre-order.

"Touch My Body" was one of two songs Mariah performed last month on NBC's Saturday Night Live (show to be re-run on May 3rd). Last week, Mariah gave a special performance of "Touch My Body" and "We Belong Together" after the third season premiere of the MTV reality series, "The Hills." The episode set a year-to-date record as the highest rated telecast on cable TV, with 5 million viewers tuning in.

On April 9th, Mariah will join an all-star cast for the second annual "IDOL Gives Back" two-hour tv special, a music celebration raising awareness and benefiting various U.S. and international charities. The first special raised $76 million last year, and won a prestigious Governor's Emmy Award.

On Monday, April 14th, Mariah will appear as special guest on The Oprah Winfrey Show, preceding the "E=MC2" album release day on the 15th. The next night, April 16th, Mariah will perform on "American Idol" after serving as musical mentor to that week's finalists.

The 11th studio album of her career, "E=MC2" follows-up "The Emancipation Of Mimi," Mariah's worldwide 10 million selling #1 album, which generated three Grammy awards (including Best Contemporary R&B Album), two #1 singles, and countless more honors during its 18-month stay on the charts. Released April 12, 2005, "Mimi" was an industry phenomenon for the mega-platinum award-winning superstar. Soundscan's biggest-selling album of the year, it brought total sales of Mariah's albums, singles and videos to over 160 million worldwide, making her the top-selling female recording artist in history.

"Mimi" featured "We Belong Together" (Grammy winner for Best Female R&B Vocal and Best R&B Song) and "Don't Forget About Us," Mariah's 16th and 17th #1 singles respectively -- which tied Elvis Presley's 17 #1's. "Touch My Body" now surpasses Elvis as Mariah's 18th #1 hit, and positions her as the only active recording artist with the potential to surpass the Beatles' all-time high of 20 #1 hits. "Touch My Body" also marks Mariah's 78th cumulative career week at #1, as she closes the gap on Elvis Presley's all-time high record of 80 weeks at #1.

Superstar Artist Usher Announces New Album 'Here I Stand' For Worldwide Release May 27th

MTV Video Premiere For 'Love In This Club' Will Air Exclusively Across MTV, BET and VH1 Networks on April 7th

Smash single 'Love In This Club' Heats Up The Charts

NEW YORK, April 2, 2008 /PRNewswire/ --

LaFace/Zomba recording artist Usher sets to release his eagerly awaited album "Here I Stand" on May 27th. Originally scheduled for a June release the highly anticipated album has been pushed up in order to satiate increasing global demand from all of his fans. The video for "Love In This Club" will make its worldwide debut on MTV April 7th and the latest smash hit sits comfortably at #2 as the weeks greatest Airplay Gainer on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart.

Usher's newest single, "Love In This Club," features Young Jeezy, and is co-written by Usher and produced by Polow Da Don. The smash hit currently holds the #2 position on both the Hot 100 and Hot Digital Tracks charts. The song became his eighth #1 hit and is the lead single from his forthcoming, fifth studio album, Here I Stand. The video for "Love In This Club" was directed by the rising directing tandem of the Brothers Strause and will have its worldwide debut on MTV, BET and VH1 on April 7th.

Slated for global release on May 27th, Here I Stand is Usher's follow-up to his history-making, 9x platinum-selling Confessions. Within the first week of the release of Confessions, Usher sold more than any other R&B artist in the history of SoundScan. The album spawned four #1 hit singles and Usher spent 40 weeks in the No. 1 position on The Billboard Hot 100- which is more than any other male artist in the nearly 50 year history of the chart. Worldwide, the multi-talented, five-time Grammy-winner, musician and actor has sold nearly 14 million copies of Confessions and it earned a multitude of honors including MTV, BET, and People's Choice awards.

Over the span of his 14-year career, Usher has sold close to 26 million albums worldwide and combining all of his single, album and DVD sales, he's sold in excess of 36 million units globally. With four studio albums, the eponymous first release, Usher (1994) and multi-platinum albums, the 6x- platinum My Way (1997),the 4x-platinum 8701 (2001), and the 9x-platinum Confessions (2004) and one gold-certified live album simply titled Live (1999), and a string of #1 hit singles including "U Remind Me," "U Got It Bad," "Yeah," "Burn," and "My Boo" Usher's return to the top of the charts is inevitable. The Tennessee-born, Atlanta raised performer, songwriter, producer, dancer, actor started his multi-faceted career at the age of 15- years old.

Usher Raymond IV has achieved what few other contemporary entertainers have ever accomplished. He most recently launched a successful line of signature fragrances, actively heads up his own charity, New Look Foundation, a camp for teens that teaches them about the entertainment business, and he is part owner of the Cleveland Cavaliers basketball team.